Three women perform father’s ‘pinda daan’ in Gaya

Patna, Sep 26 (IANS) Three Hindu women from Tamil Nadu Sunday broke age-old Hindu traditions by offering ‘pinda daan’ (salvation rituals) for their father in Bihar’s Gaya town. Raj Lakshmi, Guni Sundari and Gomla Lakshmi performed the ritual at Vishnupad temple and on the banks of the Falgu river in Gaya, about 100 km from here.

“We ignored age-old Hindu traditions that only a male or a son can offer ‘pinda daan’ for father. We performed the ritual for our father who died a decade ago,” Raj Lakshmi, the eldest of the three sisters, told IANS.

She said it was decided to offer ‘pinda daan’ after she was informed by a Hindu priest in Tamil Nadu that goddess Sita along with Ram performed the ritual for her father-in-law Dashrath on the banks of the river Falgu in Gaya.

“We were inspired by goddess Sita’s example,” Raj Lakshmi said.

She said they have no brother and her mother’s dream was that ‘pinda daan’ of their father should be performed in Gaya.

According to Hindu beliefs, the soul wanders after death until ‘pinda daan’ is performed.

Thousands of Hindus from across the country converge at Gaya to perform the ritual on the banks of the Falgu river in Gaya during the 15-day period of the waning moon during the Hindu month of Ashwinare known as Pitrapaksh. The period began earlier this week.